I'm getting ready to overhaul the electronics in my theater. I've a simple 5.1 inwall system around a panasonic 58" V10 plasma. I have no intent of going to 7.1 or even 9.1, but do need a zone 2 out for my in wall speakers in my 2 channel room. My debate is over the onkyo 886 or its replacement the 5507 or something like the 990 with an oppo 83se using the analog ins. My focus is sound quality and my zone 2 needs good analog quality. The other thing my zone 2 needs is a sub out, how can I get this from the 990? The DVI out may pose a problem too or rather the limited number of inputs on the 990 since I have a PS3, HDMI cable box and if I were to get the Oppo. I'm currently using a Rotel surround receiver.

With the current deals on the 990 I could probably get an 83se and a 7700 amp for almost the same price as the 5507 Onkyo and the 7700 amp. Oh what to do!?

That's a tough call. I think that either approach would give you a very fine setup.

Most 990 owners have paired it with the stock BDP-83 because the 990 does an A/D/A conversion. The 990/7700/BDP-83 package would be a hard setup to argue against. If you went with the 5507 and 7700, what player would you pair with it?

I have had the BDP-83 paired with both using the analog hookups and the audio is about the same. Both machines have low noise floors and tons of hookups. The 990 is simpler to set up, but it took me more experimenting with it to get it right. The 886 was just plug and play and I set the speakers up manually just like the 990 had them. Yesterday, I finally set it up with Audyssey and it was very easy to use. The sound was great after the setup. The Onkyo is much more complicated because it has all the bells and whistles from the last 5 years. For future proofing the Onkyo is way out in front, but the 990 is also pretty awesome for ease of use. The Onkyo also has two extra zones each with its own sub-out. I really like the on screen display through HDMI and the menu is much more detailed. If Outlaw puts it back on sale you should get it if the 997 is delayed much longer.

gonk, if I used the Onkyo pre/pro and the 7700 my PS3 would have BD duty.

XenonMan, Outlaw has the onkyo on their site right now, but its the 886 which is already discontinued. For another $250 I can get the 5507 from another vendor.

I was considering the Oppo 83se to get the better analog performance as this would be my 2 channel source too. I was thinking of using the analog outs on the Oppo into the outlaw so I could hear the HD audio tracks, etc. This is what I'd have to do, isn't it?

For all my sources, I guess I'd have to use an HDMI switcher, which I don't really want to do. This whole journey started with me wanting to get my video sources with my audio gear, out from under my TV and to simplify the wiring to have just one HDMI cable going to the TV. My gear is on a different wall and I want to wire the video out to the tv in wall. Right now the cable box, PS3, and Wii sit on a shelf just under the tv.

Sounds reasonable.

Yes, you'd have to use the analog outputs as described in my 990/BDP-83 setup guide.

Something to consider: the cable box has both HDMI and component video outputs. In my experience, picture quality between the two when dealing with cable boxes is essentially indistinguishable. If you had the 990, you could use the DVI switching for the PS3 and BDP-83 and the component switching for the cable box and Wii. You'll still need to run both component and HDMI out to the display in this scenario. The 886 or 5507 would allow you to run just an HDMI cable to the display.

When I said "if Outlaw put it back on sale" I was referring to a price of $1099 they had back in November 09. For $1700 I got the BDP-83 and the PR-SC886

Yeah, the 1449 price seems a bit high for a discontinued item. Now if they had the 5507 for that price.......

Not really on the same subject but it seems either way you go you'll want balanced interconnects. There is a great deal on them in the B-Stock sale right now with free shipping. I just received mine and while I have not hooked them up yet, the construction is impressive. The XLR connectors alone are worth more than the price of the cables.

Does anyone have experience with the BPD-83 SE paired with the 990 and if so, how are you enjoying it?

I have this combination.

My room is 24' x 20' with a 8' 8" high ceiling. I have made extensive measurements using TrueRTA (the 1/24 octave version). Most of the measurements were to get the subs dialed in but out of curosity I made several few range sweeps. The room/system measures pretty flat.

I utilized a PS3 for bluray before (connected via optical for audio).

I have 2 dedicated 20 amp circuits for the audio equipment. When I added the OPPO, I also added a Panamax power conditioner that basically has everything but the subs connected to it (on one circuit). The subs are connected to the other circuit.

I have the OPPO connected to the 990 via 7.1, stereo, and optical. I had 6 Outlaw PCA interconnects left over and used them for the front 3 of the 7.1 and also the stereo connections. I have a Blue Jeans optical cable.

I add all this info to give a little weight to my observations. The OPPO is a great piece of gear. As I mentioned above, I have multiple connections and can easily switch back and forth with the 990. The audio is great with any of the connections. To be completely honest though, the differences between optical and either of the analog connections is very, very small.

I've watched numerous movies (via 7.1) and listened to countless hours of audio (via both the stereo connections and the 7.1 connections). The 990 and the SE is a great combination!

As I posted before, if you can afford the SE version you should get it (and you'll never wonder). If budget is an issue, I believe the standard version would provide most people (and systems) with a near identical experience (it's diminishing returns at best).

Thanks, Rick, for sharing. A friend is recommending the new Sony SCD-XA5400SE, but, it's for music, only (no video).